One of the things we take for granted out in the field are the recycling collection trucks. They are new and blue!
As of 2012, Montgomery County's collection contractors must use compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks for their recycling, trash, and yard trim pickups.
Have you noticed the joy of clean air in your neighborhood, free of diesel fumes? CNG trucks are also 50 to 90 percent quieter than diesel trucks. Most of all, running these trucks reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 10 to 15 percent.
The County currently has 105 collection trucks on the roads every day using CNG instead of diesel. Our carbon footprint must have shrunk at least two sizes by now!
Unity Disposal, LLC, Supervisor Rudy Reyes uses his CNG truck to help him monitor the 19 Big Blue trucks in Collection Area 3 as they pick up trash, recycling, and yard trim.
Whether on the streets picking up material, or on display at Truck Days, the CNG Big Blues fascinate admirers of all ages. Edison is happy to explain his truck's functions and features at this event...
Montgomery County’s Collections staff and contractors are the front line in keeping Montgomery County’s residential streets and air clean.
Watch for the Big Blue trucks in your neighborhood!
If you receive Montgomery County-provided trash service, you may request up to five bulk trash pickups per year at no additional charge.
Requesting a bulk pick up is easy: place your request online or by calling the County's Customer Service Center at 311 (240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850).
If your list of materials for pickup includes glass, we'll ask you to wrap it in paper. Glass may shatter as crews try to load it into the trash truck hopper.
This resident set out a bare sheet glass on a recent morning:
The trash crew retrieved the glass, with this result:
"Fortunately, no crew members were injured," reported Gabriel George, the Collections Program Specialist whose assigned area includes this neighborhood. "Glass pieces can cause serious injuries, but this time, it only left a mess for the crew to clean up."
Every day, crews from Montgomery County's recycling collection contractors are out in neighborhoods, emptying blue bins and paper carts.
The paper, books, and cardboard in a full paper recycling cart can create heavy loads for our collectors.
Last week, we caught up with Edison Cargeo and his crew member Jose Valdes. Edison is a driver for Unity Disposal, LLC, one of the three recycling collection contractors for Montgomery County Government. Other collection contractors include Ecology Services, Inc., and Potomac Disposal, Inc.
They were collecting cans, bottles, jars, containers, and paper with lightning speed.
Edison paused for a moment to demonstrate how his split body rear loader truck safely lifts the heavy paper carts. Edison told me that he and Jose serve about 300 to 400 houses per day depending on the route – so, it’s important that the trucks can give them a lift with all those carts! Before trucks were equipped with mechanical lifts, many injuries occurred when workers shouldered heavy recycling containers and manually tipped their contents into truck hoppers.
What can you do to help keep our collection crews like Edison and Jose safe? Edison shared some ideas...
When the weather is bad, he urges us to park in our driveways, and not on the streets. That allows him to maneuver his truck more easily, and to avoid collisions with parked cars.
Our residents' tour of the Resource Recovery Facility "sold out" almost as soon as it was announced. On yesterday's Presidents Day holiday, participants gathered for their eagerly-awaited discussion of... trash!
After an overview of the Facility's operations, we put on hard hats and safety glasses, and inserted ear plugs.
The observation window provides a front-row view of trucks delivering incoming material to the trash pit, and the grapple, which holds 5 tons of trash at a time!
In the Control Room, operators use an array of gauges and screens to help monitor the Facility's operations, including how much electricity is being generated as our waste is burned at very high temperatures. A small amount of that electricity is used by the RRF itself. The rest is put out onto the regional power grid, and is enough to power up to 40,000 homes and businesses!
The enormous scale of the feed chutes becomes very real when you walk beneath them!
Department:
Department of Environmental Protection, Solid Waste Services, Collections Section
Inspector Boyle is currently investigating contamination in our dual stream collection process. She is one of the Collections Section’s most experienced and dedicated recycling sleuths. "The Collections Section works closely with contractors and residents to keep our recycling stream clean", says Boyle. "Today, I’m checking to see how well our separation system is working."
Each day, recycling trucks from all over the county end up here at the Recycling Center.
"Each truck gets weighed twice", explains Boyle, "first, when it arrives, and and then, a second time after it has emptied one of its two hoppers.”
(This is a split-body rear loader recycling truck. The paper goes into the right chamber; the commingled items (cans, bottles, jars, and containers) go into the left. Keep your eye on our blog for more on these specially-constructed recycling trucks!)
To keep our paper stream clean, the trucks unload, or "tip", the paper and the commingled items into separate piles at the Recycling Center.
Inspector Boyle is out on the "tipping floor", checking each load of commingled material for paper contamination. "Paper in the commingled makes more work for those inside the processing facility, and adds another level of sorting," she shouts over the trucks. "And, the tipping floor gives us the first clue about what is actually put into the blue bins and carts."
Paper falls from the rear of the truck onto the tipping floor. Drivers sweep any stray paper into the pile. "Not a problem on this pile – the paper stream is really clean," smiles Boyle.
Back on the commingled side… paper contamination has been detected! Did you spy the phone book, too?
Once the recyclables are tipped onto the floor, they are scooped up and mechanically moved along the conveyor belt to be sorted by the Recycling Center workers. The book, or paper "contamination", gets sent to be sorted with the commingled items. There, it will be removed.
Here's the front loader in video action...
In order to keep our recycling stream clean, use the blue cart for paper and the blue bin for metal cans, glass bottles and jars, and plastic containers. Learn more about our curbside recycling collection program, and what items are accepted.
"This is a lot of material to sort", Boyle exclaims. "We need your help – separating paper makes the job easier for everyone, and it increases the amount we recycle. But it comes down to one thing… "
"… what goes in your blue bin."
What questions do you have for us? Comments are turned on for our blog, and we look forward to reading yours.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Area 1, Route 5
Collections Staff: Jessica Fusillo
Our Recycling Bin Survey continues…
For those of you who missed us last week, our field staff is checking blue bins to see how well our recycling message is making it to the curb.
At 6:57 am this morning, in a small townhome community off of Tuckerman Lane, it was just the crows and me…
It’s week two of our survey, and my hands are so cold they hurt—I think they are turning blue. No, maybe it’s just my pen…
Each bin and can has its own story to tell…
Ah, perfection! This is an A+ example of a set-out for a townhouse. There's a small blue cart for paper; a blue bin with glass, plastic, and metal; and a trash can.
Oops! Here is a mixed-up bin! It looks so neat, but alas, has so many issues. What’s wrong with this bin? (Hints: Foam packaging is trash. The box is made of wood. The paper needs to be bundled.)
Now, about that wire—perhaps a coated metal is a stretch but… let’s move on to the next address. Paper in a plastic bag is in desperate need of a cart, a second blue bin or being bundled into that department store shopping bag that's peeking out.
Dirty containers and unbundled paper make it difficult to keep our "dual recycling stream" (cans, bottles, jars, lids and containers; and paper) clean.
Hmm, this bin has too many plastic bags! Again, a second bin or a townhouse paper cart would resolve this situation.
Please avoid plastic bags for recyclables which don't fit into your blue bin. Call Montgomery County's Customer Service Center at 311 or go online to request a new blue bin or a paper recycling cart!
Technically this is a good use of containers; however, as you can see, that overflowing paper in the bin causes "litter before collection". Loose paper also makes it difficult for our collection crews to dump the paper into the hopper of the truck without spilling more paper.
Solution: Use one of the boxes in the blue cart and stuff it with the paper overflow!
What are your suggestions for helping us recycle more efficiently with our dual stream collection system?
In Montgomery County, we process and collect paper separately from bottles and cans. All of the collected material is transported to our Materials Recovery Facility, or "Recycling Center", where it is sorted and readied for market. This facility is located at the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station on Shady Grove Road and is open for tours!
-- posted by Jessica Fusillo, Collections Field Staff
January 31, 2013
Area 1, Route 5
Field Staffer: Joyce Fountain
It’s still dark and navigating some of the streets in this Bethesda neighborhood can be tricky. “Mostly, I am just trying to find a parking place”, says Collections Field Staffer, Joyce Fountain. Obviously, she is new to the area – because trying to find parking in this area is a constant. On this windy morning, Ms. Fountain has arrived to conduct a Recycle Bin Survey before she begins her daily task of monitoring the County Collections Contractors.
However, she notices right away that many of the blue carts and bins have been knocked over by the wind and some of their contents have spilled to the ground.
"That’s 'Litter before Collection' ", she sighs. She knows that the contractors responsible for collection in this area will be getting calls from residents claiming that recyclables were left on the street, and that lids and cans were stolen. "Residents don’t understand that sometimes the weather conditions can cause these issues."
Right now, Ms. Fountain must get her blue bin survey completed before the trucks start collecting. “The survey will tell us how effective the County is getting its recycling message out. I check each bin to see if there are only acceptable recyclable materials, is the paper bundled and separate from the glass, metal, and plastic like this one...
Finally, is there is any paper, trash or other unacceptable item in the bins?”, asks Ms. Fountain. In this area, most of the bins are in good shape. The biggest issues are foam containers and plastic bags – when set out curbside, both of these materials are trash.
"Many of the grocery stores in the area do recycle plastic bags.” She has to run ahead of this Potomac Disposal recycling truck to get her last house.
As I run along with her, our last house poses a question:
Do inline skates really belong in the recycle bin?
Answer: no, they are trash. If the skates are still usable, consider selling them online.
Christmas tree left at the curb with its stand.
Photo credit: Ron Gilbert, Collections Field Staff
Oops! What's wrong with this picture?
Don’t let your Christmas tree be left standing (or lying) at the curb! We grind the trees we receive into mulch. Plastic stands contaminate that mulch. So, please leave your tree at the curb au natural. Put plastic bases in the trash. Keep yard trim clean and reusable!
Every day over 1,400 tons of recyclable material are delivered to Montgomery County’s Recycling Center. Ours is a “dual stream” recycling system. That means that we collect the paper and cardboard items separately from the cans, bottles, jars, containers, lids and foil. So what’s wrong with the photo? Paper and cardboard should be contained in the blue recycling cart, not in the blue recycling bin. The blue bin is for cans, bottles, jars, containers, lids, and foil.
Need a bin or cart? Dial 311 or order online – we deliver!
If you don’t have a recycling cart, you can place your paper and cardboard for recycling in a paper bag, cardboard box, or tie it in a bundle, and place the bag, box or bundle on top of, underneath or next to your blue recycling bin.
Thanks for your help so that we can reach our goal to recycle 70 percent in Montgomery County!
Friday, January 18, 2013
We receive tons (literally!) of recyclables and trash at our Recycling Center and Solid Waste Transfer Station, but there are still many containers which don't make it there. Learn about solutions - and what you can do to help - at the H20 Summit 2013.
On Saturday, March 16, 2013, join the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission for a day of presentations and activities focused on water! The Summit and Fair will be held at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Select from three morning tracks to learn more about preventing and lessening the impact of storm water. Hear about what the government and community groups are doing, and how you can help. In the afternoon, the Family H20 Fair will offer water-related activities indoors and out. Visit with event exhibitors -- including us, the Division of Solid Waste Services -- to get even more information about products and programs to help keep our environment and water clean.
Monday, January 21, 2013 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.
If your collection day is
Your collection day this week is
Monday
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Tuesday
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Wednesday
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Thursday
Friday, January 25, 2013
Friday
Saturday, January 26, 2013
If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850).
If you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, our schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.
Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station
Calendar preview: Participate in the H2O Summit 2013 on March 16, 2013
On Saturday, March 16, 2013, join the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission for a day of presentations and activities focused on water! The Summit and Fair will be held at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Select from three morning tracks to learn more about preventing and lessening the impact of storm water. Hear about what the government and community groups are doing, and how you can help. In the afternoon, the Family H20 Fair will offer water-related activities indoors and out. Visit with event exhibitors -- including us, the Division of Solid Waste Services -- to get even more information about products and programs to help keep our environment and water clean.
This week, the Division of Solid Waste Services wrapped up the second of four seasonal 8-day long "Tip and
Sort" waste composition sampling events. This was held at our Solid Waste Processing Facility and Transfer Station.
Workers separating waste into material categories
During each event, selected truckloads of disposed waste are diverted to a
sampling location. Samples are collected according to statistical procedures. Then, they are hand-sorted into 64 different categories.
We conduct this type of study every four years, and use the data
to determine material-specific recycling capture rates. We also use the collected information to identify
new or changing opportunities for recycling.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012 - Christmas Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.
If your collection day is
Your collection day this week is
Monday
Monday, December 24, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Wednesday
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Thursday
Friday, December 28, 2012
Friday
Saturday, December 29, 2012
If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850) If you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, our schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.
Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station
Saturday, December 22, 2012: Open with normal hours
Sunday, December 23, 2012: Open with normal hours
A look ahead to the New Year's Day 2013 schedule
Tuesday, January 1, 2013 - New Year's Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.
If your collection day is
Your collection day this week is
Monday
Monday, December 31, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Wednesday
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Thursday
Friday, January 4, 2013
Friday
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Christmas tree recycling and holiday recycling tips
Bakery trays and cake domes, deli containers and trays, fruit and vegetable containers and baskets
Put into your blue recycling bin.
Cardboard boxes
Add to your curbside recycling. May be unflattened - but, consider flattening and folding so that you don't advertise your new items to prospective thieves.
Clementine fruit boxes
Put into the trash.
Cookie / popcorn / cake tins
Share for reuse, or put into your blue recycling bin.
Gift wrap
If paper, remove ribbons and bows, and add to your paper recycling. Tape does not need to be removed.
If foil-coated, put into the trash.
What's on your holiday list... for recycling + trash information?
Sign up for our Holiday Reminder email and text messages Thursday, November 22, 2012 - Thanksgiving Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.
If your collection day is
Your collection day this week is
Monday
Monday, November 19, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday
Tuesday, November 20, 2012 (no change)
Wednesday
Wednesday, November 21, 2012 (no change)
Thursday
Friday, November 23, 2012
Friday
Saturday, November 24, 2012
If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850)
If you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, our schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.
Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station
Saturday, November 24, 2012: Open with normal hours
Sunday, November 25, 2012: Open with normal hours
Thanksgiving recycling
As you prepare, enjoy, and clean up after your Thanksgiving celebrations, keep your blue bins busy! As you reduce, reuse, and recycle, remember that our plastics program now accepts #1 PET thermoform packaging. That includes clamshells, trays, deli containers, lids, domes, and cups. See photo examples on our blog. Download or print our recycling postcard as a handy reference for holiday guests. If our resources don't answer your disposal or recycling questions, please contact us for help!
Recycle your old holiday lights
Does your stash of holiday lights include strings which aren't working? Or, are you swapping conventional light strings for ones with LEDs? We've updated our list of local holiday light recycling locations. If you know of other light string recycling opportunities, please let us know.
Monday, November 12, 2012 - Veterans Day - is a regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule.
If your collection day is
Your collection day this week is
Monday
Monday, November 12, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday
Tuesday, November 13, 2012 (no change)
Wednesday
Wednesday, November 14, 2012 (no change)
Thursday
Thursday, November 15, 2012 (no change)
Friday
Friday, November 16, 2012 (no change)
If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850) If you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, our schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.
Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station
Thank you for your support during our 2-day collection slide following Hurricane Sandy. We appreciated your reports of sharing the word about our modified schedule with your neighbors.
In addition to the emails you already receive from us, and visits to our website (shortcut: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/solidwaste), you may check our collection status by:
Monday, October 8, 2012 - Columbus Day - is a
regular recycling and trash collection day. All County-provided
recycling and trash collections will be made on their normal schedule.
If your collection day is
Your collection day this week is
Monday
Monday, October 8, 2012 (no change)
Tuesday
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 (no change)
Wednesday
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 (no change)
Thursday
Thursday, October 11, 2012 (no change)
Friday
Friday, October 12, 2012 (no change)
If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided
collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center
(MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850)
If you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, our schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.
Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station
Autumn is a great time to start composting, or to refresh existing bins with newly-fallen leaves. Our video, "Composting - Make it happen", walks you through the basics. If you need a compost bin, we have those also. Check our compost bin pickup location list to find the site most convenient to you.
Bring your paper to our October 2012 shredding and recycling event
We are running normal recycling and trash collection services today
for our Monday residents. Collection may be slower than normal -- we're
expecting increases in trash as a result of residents disposing of
spoiled food, as well as potentially blocked neighborhood streets and
dark traffic signals.
Here are some specifics for cleaning up
Subscribe to our holiday reminders (Available as wireless alerts, too!)
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - Independence Day - is a
recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all
County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.
If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided
collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center
(MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850) Note: if you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, these schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.
Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station
Effective immediately, our Montgomery County recycling program now
includes PET thermoform plastic containers and "clamshell" packaging for
fruits, vegetables, bakery and deli items. PET, or polyethylene
terephthalate, containers are easily identified by the #1 code on or
near the bottom.
Our recycling program now accepts #1 PET thermoform packaging. This
is packaging made from plastic resin #1, also called "polyethylene
terephthalate". To shape it, sheets of this resin are warmed and then
pressed into molds.
To recycle the new items, shake out any crumbs, give the items a quick rinse if needed, and add them to your blue recycling bin for collection.
What is included in this program expansion? Clamshell containers! In
addition, we now take trays, deli containers, lids, domes, and cups.
